12-String Guitar

Comment

Comment by Ed Mehollin on August 4, 2011 at 10:14pm

Jay, here is one of their Trade Secrets columns that is relevant:

http://www.stewmac.com/tsarchive/ts0068.html

 

Comment by Ed Mehollin on August 4, 2011 at 9:29pm

Jay - surf through stewmac.com. I seem to remember some discussion about routing out a saddle.

Comment by Robin June Nakkula on August 3, 2011 at 9:21pm

Did the saddle-gluer at least do the responsible thing and use hot glue instead of superglue?  If so, another luthier can free it and remove all traces that it was ever bound.

Comment by Jay P. on August 3, 2011 at 8:51pm

My Guild G-312NT came with micarta, as Christopher mentioned. I bought her in 1981, in '86 the nut fractured. It was "just a nut" and I took her to a local music shop in Columbus, Mississippi. The tech there replaced it with a graphite nut, and I have been pretty satisfied with it. What I did not know was that the idiot glued the saddle in place in the ebony bridge. I discovered this a few years later when I wanted to lower the action a bit; and I was back in Europe again. I've left it in placed and have toyed with the thought of using a dremel with a small dental drill/burr to slowly chew away at the saddle until it was gone, then replace with bone.

   Back to the graphite use, I do use graphite from a pencil to lube the nut when changing strings. Glad to learn others like Edward and John are doing the same thing.

     If you have ideas about the glued in saddle, I'd like to hear what you would suggest. I already know what caliber I would use on the tech ;-).

 

Be well all, and thank you.

 

Jay P.  

 

 

 

 

Comment by Edward Sparks on August 1, 2011 at 10:19am

Good advice John...AND your guitar doesn't get chapped lips! ;-)

I think that some of the lubricants for guitar nuts is basically the same as chapstick anyway, and the chapstick would be cheaper!  Thanks, Edward

Comment by John Gundrum on August 1, 2011 at 9:34am

One other 'cheap' lubricant that is well suited for electric guitars is Chapstick (lip balm).  Basically any point the string touches something else should be lubricated.  Graphite is excellent for the nut slots but not as good for points at the bridge or on the string trees holding down string on the headstock.  Lip balm is a good choice to use at metal to metal points.

Comment by Robert on July 30, 2011 at 8:15am

Thanks for the input about graphite.  Replacing the nut/saddle with bone (I believe they're resin)) on my Martin isn't an option just now, but I'll take a pencil to them next time I change strings.  And to my Gretsch, which has a Bigsby

Comment by Edward Sparks on July 30, 2011 at 5:58am

Great advice John...I have been doing it for years...so simple, yet so effective.  Edward

Comment by John Gundrum on July 29, 2011 at 8:09pm

I don't think graphite isn't used so much to avoid string breakage but to help keep strings in tune.  Graphite is a lubricate (ask any locksmith) and with guitars - especially electrics with tremolo bars - it helps prevent the strings from getting caught up in the nut.

BTW, the best way to add graphite to a nut is to write in the slots of the nut with a pencil.  Pencil lead is actually graphite which will help keep you in tune.  Do this especially if you hear string creak when tuning (the 3rd/G string is usually the biggest offender).  Loosen the string enough to pull it out of the nut slot and then pencil in some graphite.

Comment by Christopher Cozad on July 29, 2011 at 2:36pm

Hey Edward,

Well, it was worth the wait! She was away for a long time, but I am so very pleased with the work. It is the best of both experiences, sitting down with a brand-new guitar and playing a well-loved and well-broken-in guitar. I believe in recycling, especially when it comes to older guitars! lol

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